Her Father’s Blessing

I may not possess the riches of the world,
but she's more valuable than the most priceless jewel.
I may not have the strength of a thousand men,
but she'll be safe for I will protect her with my life.
I may not retain the supremacy of royal blood,
but she'll feel love more powerful than any king's rule.

I may be handicapped since the accident,
but she is the one I fight for, stand up for, breathe for.
I may be hurting in agony at times,
but she'll never feel pain for her smile is this aching's demise.
I may be blind for the rest of my life,
but she has beauty that does not require eyes in order to see.

I may not be deserving of your daughter,
but this love certainly is.
I may be one of many faults and flaws,
but this love certainly is not.

You loved her first - my heart's grateful for all you've done.
You see, you're not losing a daughter, you're gaining a son.
Although I'm not perfect, I promise to love her and be that man.
I hope that you'll accept me. May I have your daughter's hand?

PUBLISH YOUR OWN BOOK OF POETRY

Editor’s Note

The number one question our editors receive is—what do the editors and judges look for when judging the contest? The number one answer we give is creativity. Unlike prose, writing composed in everyday language, poetry is considered a creative art and requires a different type of effort and a certain level of depth. Of the thousands of poems entered in each contest, the ones that catch our judges’ eyes are the ones that remove us, even just slightly, from the scope of everyday life by using language that is interesting, specific, vivid, obscure, compelling, figurative, and so on. Oftentimes, poems are pulled aside for a second look based simply on certain words that intrigued the reader. So first and foremost, be sure your poetry is written using creative language. Take general ideas and make them personal. In his infamous book De/Compositions: 101 Good Poems Gone Wrong, W. D. Snodgrass imparts, “We cannot honestly discuss or represent our lives, any more than our poems, without using ideational language.”